Researchers at the University of Connecticut have developed a new device for measuring contaminant levels in water. The simple sensor is geared toward gathering measurements of toxic organic pollutants. <\/p>\n
Unlike other similar sensors, the sampler does so passively. Just set it into the water body of interest and let it sample for a few hours. Screens at its center gather measurements throughout the deployment period. <\/p>\n
After it\u2019s removed, it takes a little over two hours to conduct a full analysis of the water\u2019s target contaminant levels. Another important feature of the new technology is that it provides continuous sampling over time, which isn\u2019t possible with grab sampling.<\/p>\n
Since the device remains in the water, it gives a more representative picture of an aquatic environment\u2019s overall health instead of the limited snapshot from grab sampling. It\u2019s also fairly low cost, making it possible that a number of the semi-disposable passive samplers can be deployed at the same time over large areas. <\/p>\n
The device currently measures a host of organic contaminants, such as industrial chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, synthetic chemicals that mimic hormones and even munition compounds that find their way into bodies of water. <\/p>\n
The investigators have already tested the technology in a variety of aquatic and sedimentary environments, both in the U.S. and internationally. Their next step is to commercialize it. <\/p>\n
Top image:\u00a0Passive sampling device for improved detection of toxic organic pollutants. (Credit: Sean Flynn \/ University of Connecticut)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A passive sampling device built by University of Connecticut researchers tracks contaminant levels at low cost while eliminating grab sampling concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":26922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,52],"tags":[103,349,369],"class_list":["post-26925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-technology","tag-news-2","tag-technology","tag-university-of-connecticut"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\n